Egyptian theories!

The natural theory of disease What similarities can you see?

Lesson Objectives To understand what Natural Theory was and how it influenced practical treatments To evaluate the role of both spiritual and practical ideas about disease and infection

Its waters were dammed and channelled into irrigation ditches. The Nile was vital to Egyptian life as every year it flooded and watered the land. Its waters were dammed and channelled into irrigation ditches. Egyptian doctors thought that the human body might be full of channels rather like an irrigation system

Their knowledge of anatomy told them that there were many vessels in the body through which blood flowed. They linked this idea to the Nile and thought that if human vessels got blocked then the person would get ill (the same as if a water channel got blocked a field would die of drought).

How is this a change? Now disease was believed to have a physical as well as spiritual cause. This meant treatment should be physical as well. !

Egyptian Cures Vomiting was seen as a good thing as it cleared blockages in the body! Purges (laxatives) were used to clear blockages in the stomach! Bleeding was used to clear blockages in the body. This meant that doctors deliberately cut a vein!

However – Not everyone accepted these ideas Treatments in the Papyrus Ebers still showed both spiritual and physical cures!

Other cures used by Egyptians who didn’t follow ‘natural theory’ included - Drugs were given as a magical cure to drive away the evil spirit. These drugs were often boiled and strained and then mixed into a fine powder. Chest diseases were treated by inhaling steam. Wounds were treated with ointments. The Egyptians faith in these remedies were as much to do with their belief in magic as their faith in the particular drug!

Were natural or supernatural approaches to medicine more dominant in Egyptian approaches to disease and infection? Theories? Treatments? Overall